Zing and Zang

Level Hazards

There are no enemies present in the game. The obstacles in the game are terrain altering condition the player must avoid

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Spikes

Spikes force the characters to respawn immediately on contact whether it be from the side or the top.  Their numbers increase to become a jumping hazard and create a simple skill test to test the players mastery over the jump mechanic.

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Moving platforms

These platforms move from point a and point b. They are used to help the player move to higher heights as well as pushing the player into unfavorable positions. As an added challenge, a variation of the moving platforms equipped with spikes to cause an additional death hazard for the player to avoid.

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Buttons 

These act as an item to lock players into a position to make sure the players do not leave each other in the beginning. They activate the platforms and move walls upon activation, but due to their movable properties they become a hazard for the player by activating to create an additional platform for the opposite player to stand on safely.

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Checkpoint

These balls of light become the player's respawn point after death. This was made to lock players past the point of completed level geometry.

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Level Fog

As the character moves farther apart from one another the level becomes clouded and obstacles and level geometry range from being cloudy to impossible to see with enough distance. 

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Controls

Movement

The controls of the game are a simple platformer where A moves left and D to move right. 

For the Second Player where the left arrow key moves left and right arrow key to move right.

Jump

The W key is the jump button by holding the button down to increase the jump height.

The up arrow key is the jump button for the second player that has the same function of the first player.

Level Design

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A

the players starts in the lower right corner of the box. The player is surrounded by spikes, the players can not move forward until the player on top activates the button that moves the spike wall out of the way and allows the players to move forward. The next part is a solo jump puzzle for the top player. In this situation it is easy for the bottom player to leave the top player. This introduces that the screen will begin to hide the obstacles and wall of the level the further that the players are apart. This shows them that this is a cooperative experience and leaving someone behind is a mistake. The importance of positioning becomes apparent here and the players take a leap frog approach where one player will perform an action and the other player will follow or wait defending on the situation.

B 

The player moves from the bottom of the box and the player then the top player encounters spikes on the floor. The top player must charge their jump to safely jump the spikes. The second player must also clear the next set of spikes. While the first player waits for the second player to clear the jump a moving platform comes from the ceiling and can collide with the first player if they are not too careful. After both players move through the obstacles, yet another moving platform that can hit both players moves back and forth through the top and bottom platforms. Two buttons await the two players at the end of section after both players activate the buttons the floor lifts up and transports the players to a new floor. The top plate has a button once they activate it the wall for the second player moves.

C

This section introduces moving platforms the players must jump on to progress. The players after moving the wall see a moving platform the players have to both jump to ride the platform down, where moving spike platforms block the path right. This is a fun process because if two players are playing it is a communication challenge where both players have to trust and time their movements to progress.  Upon reaching the bottom of the platform's path there is another platform both players can walk onto or jump onto. The platform then moves right to another platform that moves up. Both players have to time their jumps and land on the platform. Where they are brought to another platform where both players have to once again jump to a platform to activate the two buttons where the players are taken to a new floor. There is a large elevator that takes the players to section D. the height of the color gradient used for the background would make the obstacles too difficult to see at this point. So a quick and effective solution was to just move them past this awkward stage.

D

The players must move through a long hallway where two moving platforms move back and forth to move the players if they do not jump over the platforms.  This section is a brief breather level for the players, as the next section was designed to be the most challenging of the game. 

E

Moving into this segment the top player will have to jump up a staircase while the second player will move down the stairs on their end. The second player will have a button they need to activate. This moves the button to make a platform for the top player allowing them to move past the spikes. The top player must then repeat this process for the second player. The next section the players must activate the buttons for each player at the same time to have a bridge over the spikes. This is another communication challenge where the players have to time the activations so they both can clear the spikes. The players must do this again but they have to jump up on another platform before activating the button bridges for each other.the player then have to activate the platform to take theme to the next level, as they ascend spikes can been seen to the right as they are enroute to their next destination.

 

F

The players are given a button that when pushed doesn't seem to do anything in reality it activates the spikes under the players. The top player can not avoid this button but it allows the players to talk and think before starting the challenge. The players must now race against the spiked floor moving towards them as they activate buttons to build bridges like they did in the previous level.

G

Is the end of the game where the players ride a slow moving platform up. This is semi suspenseful as the moving spike wall is still moving towards them. Once the players reach a height greater than the spike wall moves the players get a picture where the characters are able to be together again.

Cutting room Floor

• We had a rotating platform that would rotate and switch the characters position making the top character the bottom and vice versa.

• Zones that would increase the level dimming effect so players had to stick closer

• Enemies that had to be jumped on

 

Final thoughts

I like the game that we made and although it was simple I had fun making it. The people who played the game also had fun. We did not win the game but I'm proud of what I had done and the end product we made. I believe this could be taken further and made into a much larger experience all though i would change the bottom character to more of a shadow so the design isn't set to a simple 2d design.